Blank-shearing apparatus



March 1 1927. 1,619,227

E. WlDELL ETAL BLANK SHEARING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 21. 1922 3Sheets-Sheet 1 I 1,619,227 March 1 1927' M. E. WIDELL ET AL 4 BLANKsurname APPARATUS Filed Jan. 21. 1922 speets-sneetz March 1 1927. E7wlDELL ET Al.

BLANK SHEARING APPARATUS Filed Jan 21, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 fig .6

III

. Patented Mar. 1, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'mAGNUs E. WIDELL, or CINCINNATI, OHIO, AND FRANK nonom m, or MONTCLAIR,

new JERSEY, Assrenons TO AMERICAN. CAN COMPANY, or NEW YORK, 1\T.'Y., A

CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BLANK-SHEARING I APPARATUS.

' Application filed Ianuary 21, 1922. Serial. No. 530,776.

This invention relates-in general to shearmg machines and has moreparticular reference to an lmprovement in such machines whereby recoverypieces from the metal sheet being operatedupon may be obtained .in aneflicient and rapid manner.

It isthe present custom where automatic machinery is employed in thecutting of a number of articles from a sheet of tin plate, to firstsever the sheet into strips by a shearing machine and subsequently to,feed the strips so obtained through a press for the cutting of thedesired articles. When the resultant article is of a circularconfiguration it is the common practice to out such circular disksfrom-adjacent rows of the tinplate in a staggered formation. ,Thispermits a moreeconomical cutting of the sheet and provides a minimumamount-of wastage.

In order to make use of an automatic feed in connection with a presscutting the desired articles, it is'usually necessary for the strip tocontain one row of disk spaces. The strip is so formed as to accommodatethe cut ting of the round disks in staggered forma-- tion by beingprovided with ascroll or undulating edge which permits the same economyas if the disks were directly out from the sheetsin staggered relation.

In the cutting of this staggered strip it is .found that spaces occur atthe ends of the strip which are'not suflicient in size to make acomplete disk. It is desirable from the standpoint of econom and is thecustomary practice when a con ition of this kind occurs,'to cut from thespaces left other smaller shapes known in the art as the recovery.

the metal containing therecovery space from the strip and thence feedingthe same into a recovery press where the final recovery is out. Toaccomplish the removal of the metal strip, a transverse cut is made by acutting ed e oifsetfrom the face of an in a plane slightly beneaththatof the shearing die. By this method the transverse line across theend of the strip .andthe shearing line alon the edge of the strip arecut at slightly. ifierent periods of time with the result-that therecovery and is buckled and distorted. It has been found in practicethat this'distortion seriously interferes with the correct feeding andcutting of the recovery end in a: recovery press, and it is toward a.removal of this trouble that our present in vention is'directed.

Our invention contemplates and has for a principal object the economiccutting of the nalv recovery in thesame machine now employed forshearing the strip and permits the recovery to be removed previous tothe.

removal of the metal from the end of the strip. The buckling of theskeleton metal left inthe end of the strip after the "removal of therecovery 'is, therefore, of no consequence inasmuch as the metal isdiscarded as scrap.

Another object of our invention is the pro vision of an improved methodwhich dispenses with the entire operation at present needed oftransferring the stri ends from the shearing machine and feeding thesame into a separate recovery press.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentas it is better understood from the following description, which, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a. preferredembodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings, f

Figure l is a vertical section through a shearing press in which ourinvention is embodied; v

Fig. 2 is a plan View, partially in section, iaken substantially on .theline 2- 2 in Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section taken substantially onthe line 3-3 in Fig." 2;

and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the metal sheet from which theblanks are formed, showing in outline the form of the main strips andthe recovery blanks which are cut out by the 'press. 7

Upon the drawings illustrating the invention, the reference numeral 11'indicates a body frame which is-supported upon a base 12 and has mountedthereon a' table 13 and die members 14 and 15 suitably secured thereto.A shearing die support 16 is mounted for reciprocation in a frame yokemember 17, a dovetail connection indicated at 18 being provided betweenthese parts.

Intermittent reciprocation of the member 16' is accomplished by means ofcrossheads 19 mounted upon vertical rods 21 and secured to a horizontalrod 22 having been ings 23 protrudin from a dieplate 24 carried by themem er 16. The rods 21 are actuated by eccentrics contained in brackets25 and operated by a power shaft 26,

said rod being secured to the actuatingmembcrs at each end by nuts 27and 28 respectively. The weight of the die support 16 is counterbalancedby springs 29 carried on rods 31 which are secured by nuts 32 and 33 tothe frame yoke member 17. The springs are confined between end disks 34on the rods 31 and a plate 35 through which said rods extend and whichis secured by bolts 36 extending through a downturned extension 37 to apart 38 of the movable mounting for the die support 16.

The blanks are fed in any preferredamanner over the table 13 and uponthe stationawry die parts 14 and 15. In order that the die action maybefully understood, attention is directed first to Fig. 4 in which thereference numeral 41 indicates the outline of the main strips to be cutand the numeral 42 indicates the outline of the recovery which,v in thepractice of our invention, is removed prior to the action of the diesupon the boundary lines of the main strip in which it is contained. Ashas heretofore been pointed out, the transverse line 43 has,

in certain types of machines, been severed now described.

The die member 14 is provided with an aperture 4.6 of the form oftherecovery and secured in the die plate 24 is a cutting punch 47,adapted tocooperate with the aperture 46- to remove the recoveries indiecated in Fig. 3 by-the reference numeral 48. or blanks fall into a.chute Said recoveries 49 by which they are directed to a trough orreceptacle ,51 secured in suitable manner to a projection 52 from theframe 11. sheets to be operated upon, which are desig nated: by thereference, numeral 53, are ad vanced' over the table and the members,and the main strips are cut out by the action of a cutting or shearing(lie 54 secured in thematic-'24 and cooperating with the l ower fixeddie member 15. Said fixed die-member is-provided with along apertnre55of the scroll or undulating form desired, and thedie 54 is oicorrespondi formation and adapted topass into sci-id aperture asindicated in Fig. 3. The cut Thelower die out strips 56 and 57 fallrespectively through said aperture and over the outer side of the diemember 15 and are both caught in a trough 58 secured to the side of theframe 11. A chute 59 is provided to direct the strips 56 to said troughand together with. the chute 49 is fixedly secured at 61 to the diemember 14. The apertures 46 and 55. are flared outwardly and enlarged inthe lower )arts of the die members 14 and 15, as-in icated at 62and-(i3. It will be noted that when the alternate strip spaces 41, whichcontain the irregular ends from which the recoveries are cut, reach aposition beneath the die 54 said-recoveries are completely removedleaving blank spaces 64 at the/ends of said strips. The die member-15 isprovidedwith bridges 65 and 66 positioned beneath the lines 43- of thestrips, the purpose of these bridges being-v to permit die edges 67,provided in the die 54, to. sever saidtransverse linesA-S- so-ithat theentire skeleton, indicated tit-69, is removed, leaving a plainshortstrip, which isdesignated in- Fig. 3- by the reference numeral 56..It will he apparent that any bucklingof the matal'oithe skeleton part 69through the actionuof die edges 67 is immaterial sincethe recove beenremoved. and; said she eton part is merely wastage. Furthermore, themethod herein described eliminates the necessity for has al-readsubsequent operation in another press to remove the recoveries, and agreat saving of time and equipment is thus accomplished. The frame 4yoke members ,17 are secured .-to

the table bybolts 71 passing through eaten sions-72of said members, andit will be ohserved that the objects of my invention areeffectivelyaccomplished with relativelysimpile structure 'involvingbut'sli htvariation in mechanism and actionfrom t leus'ual type of shearing press.

It isthought-that the invention and many of-its atten ant advantageswill bcut1derstood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be madein the form, constructionandarrangement of-the arts without departing from the spirit andi seopeof the invention: or sacrificini all 01E itsmaterial advantages, theformereiab'efore a preferred embodiment thereof.-

We claim:

1.! In an apparatus for cutting metalsheets to form'blanks fromuwhichcan ends and the described being merely:

like may ,beformedithe combination of cul'f-E ternatin ting the Ia-nksinto transverse strips,- the-latting. dies'elougated- ,trmsverselyto thedire-o. tion: of the feed ot the sheetsa-nd having -alwide and narrowportions for cuttor-containing: waste portions, and dies-aw.

rangedin line with the end:

portions of the: blank-cutting dies and operating in advancethereof atthe sides of the sheets for cutting-- supplemental blanks'f'rom saidwaste portions of said sheets, said advance dies belng arranged to be inline with said waste portions only at the moment of cutting.

2. In an apparatus for cutting metal sheets to form blanks fromwhich canends and the like may be formed, the combination of cutting dies havingalternating wide and narthereof for cutting supplemental blanks fromparts of said sheet which in the action of said first mentioned blankingdies will become wastage, both sets of sa1d (hes acting upon the sheetsimultaneously-and the advance dies only acting on said'wastagc beforethe latter arrives at the main cutting dies. I

3. In an -apparatus for cutting metal sheets to form blanks from whichcan ends and the like may beformed', the combination of cutting diesextending across the line of feed of the sheets and having alternatingwide and narrow portions forcutting the blanks into transverse strips,and dies ar ranged in line with the end portions of said cutting 'diesand operating in advance there of for cutting blanks from parts of saidsheet which in the action of said first mentionedblanking dies becomewastage, said last mentioned advance dies operating on the sheet only atits sides and at the ends of alternating rows of the blank lay-out. I 4.In an apparatus for cutting metal sheets to form blanks from which canends and the like may be formed, the combination of scroll-cutting dieshaving alternating cutting dies and in wide and narrow portions adaptedto cut the sheet into strips from which can ends andthe like may be cutwith minimum wastage, and means associated therewith arranged in advanceof said scroll-cutting dies and in line wvith their end portions forcutting out a strip end in advance of said dies and only from a part'ofthe sheet which in the action of said dies will become wastage. I

"5. In an apparatus for cutting metal sheets to form blanks from whichcan ends and the like may. be formed, the combina- -tion ofscroll-cutting dies extending across the line of feed of the sheets andhaving alternating wide and narrow portions adapted to cut the shcetintostrips from which can ends and the like may be cut with mini- 'mumwastage, alternate of said strips having widened ends, and meansassociated therew 1th arranged in advance of sa1d scrolltions forcutting out a blank of desired form in advancc'of said dies from-saidwidened ends of-the strips which in the action of said dies will becomewastage.

6. In an apparatus for cutting metal sheets to form blanks from whichcan ends and the like may be formed, the combination line .with theirend porof main blanking strip-cutting dies having alternating wide andnarrow portions and elongated and extending across the line of feed ofthe sheets, and recovery dies located on the lines of feed of thewastage and opcrating in timed relation to the main dies,

an apparatus for cutting metal sheets to form blanks from which can endsand thclikc may be formed, the combination of transversely elongatedblanking striprutting dies having alternating wide and narrow portionsfor cutting on transverse scroll lines a maximum number of strips from asheet for the making of can ends and the like, and means associatedtherewith arranged in advance of said scroll-cutting dies and in linewith their end portions for cutting blanks of other configuration fromsaid sheet at'points which become the widened ends of said blanks. p

8. The process. of cutting metal sheets for the formation of can endsand the like,'which consists in first cuttingrelatively small blanksalong the side edges of the sheets, and

cutting said sheet into scroll like strips, so

that alternate strips include the spaces for' mcrly occupied by saidrelatively small blanks, the cutting of said strips and the cutting ofsaid small blanks being simultaneously performed but at diiferentstations.

9. A method of cutting metal sheets'so as to dividethem intostrlp-blanks of scrolllike form and waste portions, in which methodformed blanks are out from said waste portions while the latter areintegral with the said sheets and at the same time that the strip-blanksare cut but at different stations. I

10. A .method of cutting sheet metal blanks which consists inprogressively feeding and cutting the sheet into the desired scrollstrips and waste portions and, before sa1d waste portions are separatedfrom the sheet, punching smaller shaped blanks from withsuitableopposing dies, of a scroll dier extending transverse to the line offeeding of said sheets, and a punch connected and operating withsaldscroll die and arranged tion thereof, and acting'on successive partsof the sheet before said 'parts are fed to the scroll die. I

12. In the herein described method of cutting strip blanks havingalternating wide at the rear thereof in line with an end porand. narruwportions, and of recovering smuzller formed-i blanks from the ends ofalternate strip blanks which consists in removing alternate etripbln'nksfrom the metal 5 sheet: at asuitiible distance from the end of the sheetso that two of said blanks are formed at one cutting, and.- st eachcutting removing smaller formed. blanks along, the edges of the sheet,and advancing the sheet with an intermittent movement, each movementbeing .for a distance equal to the widthof two of said strip blanks.

MAGNUS E. WIDELL.

FRANK-

